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THE RAVEN 



BY 



EDGAR ALLAN POE 



ILLUSTRilTEr] 




NEW YORK 
E. P. BUTTON AND COMPANY 

39 West Twenty Third Street 
1884 



(? 



Copyright, 1SS3, 
E. P. Button and Company. 



/^-377Ay' 



University Press: 
John Wilson and Son, Cambridge. 






ILLUSTRATIONS 

By W. L. Taylor. 



Drawn and engraved imder the supervision of 
George T. Andrew. 



Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2010 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/raven02poee 



/ 




"A 




The raven. 



Once upon a midnight dreary, 
While 1 pondered, weak and weary, 
Over many a quaint and curious 
Volume of forgotten lore — 
While I nodded, nearly napping, 
Suddenly there came a tapping, 
As of some one gently rapping. 
Rapping at my chamber door. 
" 'T is some visitor," I muttered, 

"Tapping at my chamber door — 
Only this and nothing more,' 



Ah, distinctly I remember 
It was in the bleak December, 
And each separate dying ember 

Wrought its ghost upon the floor. 
Eagerly I wished the morroAv ; — 
Vainly I had tried to borrow 
From my books surcease of sorrow — 
Sorrow for the lost Lenore — 
For the rare and radiant maiden 

Whom the angels name Lenore — 
Nameless here for evermore. 



And the silken, sad uncertain 
Rustling of each purple curtain 
Thrilled me — filled me with fantastic 
Terrors never felt before ; 
So that now, to still the beating 
Of my heart, I stood repeating, 
" 'T is some visitor entreating" 

Entrance at my chamber door — 
Some late visitor entreating 

Entrance at my chamber door; 

This it is and nothing more. 




Presently my soul 

grew stronger; 
Hesitating then 

no longer, 
"Sir," said I, 

"or Madam, truly 
Your forgiveness 

I implore; 
But the fact is 

I was .napping, 
And so gently you 

came rapping. 
And so faintly 

you came tapping, 
Tapping at my 

chamber door,' 
That I scarce was sure 

I heard you " — 
Here I opened 

wide the door: 
Darkness there and 

nothing more. 



Deep into that darkness peering. 
Long I stood there, wondering, fearing, 



Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals 
Ever dared to dream before ; 
But the silence was unbroken, 
And the darkness gave no token. 
And the only word there spoken 

Was the whispered word, "Lenore?" 
This I whispered, and an echo 

Murmured back the word, "Lenore!" — 
Merely this and nothing more. 



Then into the chamber turning, 
All my soul within me burning, 
Soon I heard again a tapping 

Something louder than before. 
" Surely," said I, " surely that is 
Something at my window lattice ; 




Let me see, then, what thereat is, 
And this mystery explore — 
Let my heart be still a moment 
And this mystery explore ; — 

'T is the wind and nothing more." 




Open here I flung the shutter, 
When, with many a flirt and flutter, 
In there stepped a stately Raven 
Of the saintly days of yore. 
Not the least obeisance made he; 
Not an instant stopped or stayed he ; 
But, with mien of lord or lady. 





Perched above my *'"" 
chamber door — 
Perched upon a 
bust of Pallas 
Just above my 

chamber door — 
Perched, and sat, 

and nothins: more 




'^] 




Then this ebony bird beguihng 
My sad fancy into smiling, 



By the grave and stern decorum 
Of the countenance it wore, 
" Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, 
Thou," I said, " art sure no craven. 
Ghastly, grim and ancient Raven 

Wandering from the Nightly shore — 
Tell me what thy lordly name is 

On the Night's Plutonian shore ! " 

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore." 

Much I marvelled this ungainly 
Fowl to hear discourse so plainly, 
Though its answer little meaning — 
Little relevancy bore ; 
For we cannot help agreeing 
That no sublunary being 
Ever yet was blessed with seeing 
Bird above his chamber door — 
Bird or beast upon the sculptured 
Bust above his chamber door. 

With such name as " Nevermore." 





But the Raven, sitting lonely 
On that placid bust, spoke only 
That one word, as if his soul in 

That one word he did outpour. 
Nothing farther then he uttered ; 
Not a feather then he fluttered — 
Till I scarcely more than muttered, 
" Other friends have flown before — 
On the morrow Jie will leave me, 
As my hopes have flown before." 

Ouoth the Raven, " Nevermore 




Wondering at the stillness broken 
By reply so aptly spoken, 
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters 
Is its only stock and store, 
Caught from some unhappy master 
Whom unmerciful Disaster 
Followed fast and followed faster, 
So when hope he would adjure, 
Stern despair returned, 

Instead of the sweet hope he dared adjure, 
That sad answer, " Nevermore." 

But the Raven still beguiling 
All my sad soul into smiling, 
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in 
Front of bird and bust and door; 
Then, upon the velvet sinking, 
I betook myself to linking 
Fancy unto fanc}', thinking 

What this ominous bird of yore — 
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly. 

Gaunt, and ominous bird of yore 

Meant in croaking " Nevermore." 



This I sat engaged in guessing, 
But no syllable expressing 
To the fowl whose fiery eyes now 
Burned into my bosom's core ; 
This and more I sat divining, 
With my head at ease reclining 
On the cushion's velvet lining 
That the lamplight gloated o'er, 
But whose velvet violet lining, 

With the lamplight gloating o'er. 

She shall press, ah, nevermore ! 





Then methought the air grew denser, 
Perfumed from an unseen censer 
Swung by angels whose faint footfalls 
Tinkled on the tufted floor. 




"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee — 
By these angels he hath sent thee 
Respite — respite and Nepenthe 
From thy memories of Lenore ! 
Let me quaff this kind Nepenthe, 
And forget this lost Lenore ! " 

Quoth the Raven, " Nevermore." 




■■»««rs- 





^E: i\i-^ :1,^ i^^-j 



"Prophet ! " said 1, ''thing of evil !- 
Prophet still, if bird or devil ! — 
Whether Tempter sent, or whether 
Tempest tossed thee here ashore, 
Desolate, yet all undaunted, 
On this desert land enchanted — 
On this home by Horror haunted — 
Tell me truly, I implore — 
Is there, — is there balm in Gilead ? — 
Tell me — tell me, I implore ! " 

Quoth the Raven, " Nevermore.' 




"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil ! - 
Prophet still, if bird or devil ! — 
By that Heaven that bends above us — 

By that God we both adore — 
Tell this soul with sorrow laden 
If, within the distant Aidenn, 
It shall clasp a sainted maiden 

Whom the angels name Lenore — 




Clasp a rare and radiant maiden 

Whom the angels name Lenore." 

Ouoth the Raven, " Nevermore. 



Leave no black plume as a token 
Of that lie thy soul hath spoken ! 
Leave my loneliness unbroken ! — 
Quit the bust above my door ! 
Take thy beak from out my heart, and 
Take thy form from off my door ! " 

Quoth the Raven, " Nevermore. 

And the Raven, never flitting, 
Still is sitting, still is sitting 
On the pallid bust of Pallas 

Just above my chamber door; 
And his eyes have all the seeming 
Of a demon's that is dreaming, 
And the lamplight o'er him streaming 
Throws his shadow on the floor. 
And my soul from out that shadow 
That lies floating on the floor 

Shall be lifted — nevermore ! 




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